Defining Greatness
by BlacKatRed
Summary: The life of a Rattata is not usually a pleasant one. Nor is it for any Pokémon perceived as 'weak', 'useless', or 'unwanted'. Set in the not-so-distant Johto, this is a story of a young trainer and a team of such Pokémon, and their journey to the top.
1. Chapter 1

The life of a Rattata is not usually a pleasant one. Nor is it for any Pokémon perceived as 'weak', 'useless', or 'unwanted'. Set in the not-so-distant Johto, this is a story of a young trainer and a team of such Pokémon, and their journey to the top.

"talk"

'thought'

**Chapter 1: Capturing Burrow**

Rattata's POV

'I was caught', the thought filled my insides with dread. The metal around me felt cold, 'GOT TO GET OUT', freezing, 'NEED TO GET OUT', burning. With growing desperation I raked my ivory claws against the metal. Body quaking, I reluctantly fell against the bottom of the Pokéball. 'Its not supposed to be like this' I thought, hissing humorlessly into the empty space. For the hundredth time I wished I wasn't a Rattata. 'No other species has to deal with this, being unwanted, useless'. Rattatas, we live hiding. Trainers avoid us and despise us. The few that capture us use us as slaves or send us to an endless nothingness 'Where will I end up?' I curl into myself, breathing in the earthy scent on my fur. 'It was the smell of the outside, the smell of home'.

Time passed by slowly. My Trainer was weird, different. He did not send me to the nothingness nor did he use me as a slave, so far. What was he waiting for? Didn't he know I was useless? 'NO HE'S MESSING WITH YOU! Waiting to hurt you.' Suddenly my world filled up with light.

Spencer's POV

"Hey there little guy it's okay, no ones going to hurt you." I said hurriedly as I saw my new charge tremble helplessly. "A name, a name, a name… What should I call you?" I grumbled quietly, sitting down to face the creature. At that moment I caught it's eyes. Crimson pools carrying too much emotion, too much anxiety, too much hurt. "Your name can be Burrow and my name is Spencer, and together we're going to be the very best." I don't think I ever saw such a disbelieving look, not from a human or Pokémon. I tried to stifle my laughter. While it is true that not many trainers choose Pokémon like Rattata, I never truly believed there was such thing as 'weak Pokémon' only weak trainers. Now that I was finally 10, I had a chance to prove it. "Okay Burrow its you and me against the world yeah?" I said gently, reaching my hand out slowly trying not to startle him. Burrow's body turned ridged and he let out a pitiful wine. 'This might be harder then I thought' I mused picking up the distraught creature 'It doesn't help that he seems so damaged. I wonder if all Rattata are like this'. I looked down at Burrow once more, holding him to my chest as I stood up. His soft purple fur brushed against my arms. 'No I have a feeling that Burrow is one of a kind'. I looked around for a sign to our next destination, the small ocean-side town of Cherrygrove. Finding one I began to walk.

Burrow's POV

Spencer was holding me close 'TOO CLOSE'. I shivered. 'Spencer' I stole one more glance at my trainer. His eyes were set on the road, relaxed determined. They were brown, light enough to see clearly. His hair, pale blond was messy. It refused to lie down and stuck up at odd angles. Overall he wasn't that remarkable. He was a gangly, pale, and scrawny kid. 'It doesn't matter what he looks like he's human HE WILL HURT YOU' my thoughts screamed. '…But he didn't' another part of me reasoned. It was true Spencer hadn't hurt me. If anything he was gentle, good. I felt the heat radiating from his arms drawing me closer to his body. 'Maybe life with this trainer won't be so bad'. My mind didn't have a chance argue, as I was slowly rocked to sleep.

A couple hours later I woke up by odd movements. Vision still blurry I looked around lethargically. The room was plain, generic, holding little furniture and even less color. 'Was that Spencer?' I watched him questioningly as he moved about the tiny room. Noticing me awake he crouched beside me.

"Shhhh its okay Burrow" Spencer whispered as he arranged the blanket around me. 'I was on a bed?' I thought sleepily struggling to listen to Spencer. "I booked us a room in the Cherrygrove Pokémon center. You fell asleep so I'd thought we'd just turn in. You had quite a long day after being captured and all..." Spencer trailed off a bit then asked. "Would you rather sleep in the Pokéball or the bed?"

'A choice, he was giving me a choice' I thought. 'Well I'm not moving now, and besides that Pokéball…' I shuddered '…who would willingly sleep in that cold metallic prison? No I'm fine here.' Snuggling more thoroughly into the blankets, Spencer seemed to understand my choice. "Okay then, as you wish Burrow" Spencer said laughing at my antics "Nothing is too good for you spoiled beast". I grumbled a bit at that and sent him a tired but fierce glare. Spencer seemed more amused then anything and laughed even harder. "Don't worry Burrow we'll work on your intimidation tomorrow. You're way too small to be threatening." Spencer climbed under the covers as I took refuge at the end of the bed. Glaring fiercely all the way. "Yeah we'll definitely need to work on that if we want to be taken seriously." He mumbled half chuckling. Lying quiet for a moment Spencer turned to me. "Goodnight Burrow. Sweet dreams" Not a moment later he seemed already captured by sleep. I stayed up for a good half-hour more just thinking. 'I was caught today… and I'm safe' the thought seemed so surreal. 'I always imagined this day to be my last. Sure it was scary, terrifying even, but I don't think I ever felt this nice.' Laying here enveloped by warmth mesmerized by the feeling of security. 'Is this what its like to have a companion? No I won't trust so easily… but' my heart lit up 'I can at least have hope.'

That night a Pokémon and his new trainer fell into a deep sleep. One was dreaming of comfort, the other dreaming of adventure. Although they were different in many ways, both dreamed of hope.


	2. Chapter 2

The life of a Rattata is not usually a pleasant one. Nor is it for any Pokémon perceived as 'weak', 'useless', or 'unwanted'. Set in the not-so-distant Johto, this is a story of a young trainer and a team of such Pokémon, and their journey to the top.

"talk"

'thought'

**"Pokédex"**

**Chapter 2: Training Day at Cherrygrove**

Burrow's POV

'Mmmmmnnn? Morning, was it morning already?' My mind lethargically woke up as I noticed the sun streaming into the room. I began stretching my limbs, paws crinkling the sheets below me as I arched my back. '… Sheets?' my mind blanked at the thought. I froze, suddenly aware of my location. 'Not good, not good, NOT GOOD. This was a human place. What happened to my den?' Panic filled my mind as I began to struggle out of the bedding. Claws tearing at the sheets I only managed to get more entangled.

"Burrow I brought your breakfast~" Spencer sang as he slammed open the door. I was so startled that I lost my balance and fell off the bed flailing, sheets and all. 'NOISE DANGER, HUMAN DANGER' my instincts screamed as I ran under the bed dragging the torn up bedding with me. My trainer stood there dumbfounded. Seemingly confused on whether or not to laugh hysterically or freak out after seeing me dive bomb off the bed. In the end I suppose he couldn't help it and started to laugh. Hearing the noise I became furious. 'HE'S LAUGHING AT YOU, MOCKING YOU!' my mind roared. Spencer forced himself quiet and came to check on me under the bed. "Burrow are you okay?" he asked still giggling. As soon as he saw me backed into the wall all the humor drained from his face. I looked at him putting hate into my glare. My lips were curled back in a vicious snarl as I let loose an unmistakable warning growl. "Burrow?" Spencer questioned again voice wavering. I paused at his tone. 'Regret?' the irrational part of me said otherwise 'HUMANS LIE! HE LIES! THEY HATE YOUR KIND' I paused to reconsider, 'No, not this time.' I looked at Spencer again; his hair a mess, body petrified staring at me. His eyes were pleading at me to be all right. 'No I will not let my instincts control me. Not like this, not with Spencer'. At that moment I came to an important decision. I would break the rules, deny my instincts, all for the hope of trusting my trainer.'

Spencer's POV:

Burrow crawled towards me, huffing a bit, but looking overall calm. I honestly have little to no idea what just happened. I must have done something wrong. One minute I was getting Burrow breakfast the next he was flailing and I was on the receiving end of a death glare. "That's right breakfast" I said stunned. "I forgot. Burrow come and eat your breakfast I want to be out before eight to get some serious training done!" Excited for the day ahead I grabbed the bowl and gave it to Burrow. He looked at me critically, and then started eating furiously, coating his muzzle with berry juice. "Yes well while you do, uh 'that', I'm going to pack up" I said slightly disgusted by Burrows eating habits.

Ten minutes later we were out the door with Burrow resting comfortably in my arms. He denied the Pokéball again today leaving me to wonder how much dislikes the thing. I gazed down at him again, readjusting my arms so I could pet his fur. 'He has such amazing fur' I mused. Fine dark purple hairs lay flat against the creature. The feeling was almost indescribable, silkier then down feathers on bird Pokémon. I ran my fingers against his back lightly, not wanting to bother Burrow. It seemed I had nothing to worry about though, because the little Rattata was busy. Having not seen Cherrygrove yesterday, Burrow was swiveling his head back and forth sniffing the air trying to take in the whole city. He looked almost as mesmerized as I was before, entranced by the city. 'The city is quite beautiful isn't it?' I thought to myself as I gazed longingly at the diminishing seaside. 'But today is not about relaxation, todays a training day'.

When we arrived at route 30 it had just turned nine. I was ecstatic to have the whole day in front of us.

"Alright Burrow listen up!" I exclaimed setting him down on the grass below. "Today is all about teamwork. Since we're both new to this I don't expect much, but I do want us to work as hard as we can. We're going to battle the wild Pokémon on the route to gain experience." I paused a moment to look through my bag for my standard issue Pokédex. Burrow continued to watch me curiously. "According to this, the route is mainly filled with bug and bird Pokémon." I crouched down to burrow raising the Pokédex parallel to him. "I'm just going to scan you okay? We need to see your moveset."

A loud robotic voice filled the air, **"Rattata the Rat Pokémon, Cautious in the extreme, it can adapt to almost any environment. Specifics: This Rattata is LV 3, ability Guts, Moveset Tackle, Tail whip, has a rash Nature"** ** "**Well okay then Burrow, lets tackle the world into SUBMISSION!" I roared dramatically. Burrow seemed to give me a flat look. Ignoring him I scanned the grass, "Lets start with that guy" I exclaimed pointing to a wild Caterpie.

Burrow's POV:

Our training seemed to last forever. I grunted as another Pidgey slammed me into the ground. 'Damn Pidgeys' I groaned to myself. Body quivering, I struggled to stand myself up. It had been less then an hour and Spencer has had to rush me to the Cherrygrove Center seven times. My dirt-encrusted coat was lined with scratches. My breath was both heavy and irregular as I stared down our newest opponent.

"Burrow use tackle!" Spencer commanded. 'Why do I listen?' I thought while charging at my opponent. 'He has been wrong before.' I crashed into the Pidgey knocking the bird over. Relentless it stood back up. "Okay one more should do it, Burrow tackle NOW!" Spencer shouted, feeling victory in hand. 'That's right' I thought, charging again. 'I have been wrong on more occasions then Spencer. The times I have ignored him were also the times I got hurt the most.' I grinned victoriously as the fallen bird conceded defeat and disappeared into the forest.

"Way to go Burrow!" Spencer praised me. "That's 13 wins to 7 losses! By the end of today you're going to be so much stronger" Spencer was beaming. 'He was proud of me?' A warm bubbly feeling rose up inside of me, and suddenly I wasn't so tired. I was ready. Spencer must have noticed my change in stance, because he impossibly looked even happier then before. "I'm glad you got your 2nd wind buddy" he exclaimed, "Lets get stronger, together."

Five Caterpie down.

Another three Kakuna defeated.

The occasional Pidgey.

Three more trips to the Pokémon Center.

And even a wild Spinarak, decimated.

It seemed like every moment, every battle brought us closer, binding us together with both victories and defeats. I can remember hazily our trips to the Center. Thin arms holding me tightly, as Spencer rushed to get me seen and healed. Feeling his small form maneuvering through the pedestrians. 'Battling's different with a trainer' I mused, 'in the wild it's for survival, your wounds are never taken care of. With trainers battling for fun.' I felt the trill of accomplishment after knocking a wild Weedle down with my newly learned Quick Attack. 'Yes I thought, fun'

Twelve more Caterpie,

Nine Weedle,

Seven Metapod,

Nine Kakuna,

Eleven Pidgey,

And three Spinarak

All defeated.

Two more trips to the Pokémon Center.

I laughed exuberantly. 'This is the most fun I had in ages!' For the first time in my life I felt something other then useless. 'I'm not useless' the revelation hit me as I knocked down another Spinarak. 'I have a purpose. Not to hide, not to be condemned by a trainer, no my purpose is…' I glanced back at Spencer; his eyes were lit up with a mix of fiery determination and delight. His body was caked with dirt, dust, and sweat. He smelled atrocious. 'Yes my purpose is to protect this kid; to protect that light in his eyes'. It was scary how fast I came to befriend him. I feared humans so much. I still do. It's just so hard to fear Spencer. I took more damage from a Pidgey before I could defeat it.

I lost count of how many Pokémon we defeated after that.

There were no more trips to the Pokémon Center.

It was nighttime now. The stars shone in the sky like diamonds, and the moon was a beautiful crescent. Spencer and I lay there on our backs, unmoving. I sighed happily as a breeze ran over us. I am ashamed to say at this point I almost smelled as bad as Spencer. Letting out an amused hiss, I turned to him. We were both exhausted, wearing matching grins still high off all the excitement.

"We did good today didn't we?" Spencer commented into the night, "Your like what level 14 now? That's a good eleven levels you grew!" I nodded an affirmative at Spencer. Although I grew fast today I also knew it wouldn't be this easy next time. The opponents will get stronger and smarter with the guidance of trainers.

I saw spencer's eyes wander back up to the sky. "Burrow I'm sorry about laughing at you this morning, It was mean." I was shocked. 'Spencer was apologizing?' I let him continue. "I may mess up sometimes, I can't promise I'll be perfect, but I will try for you okay Burrow?" I voiced my acceptance with a small gurgle. "We should be getting back now" he said reaching down to pick me up. I didn't protest as he rearranged his hold. "Tomorrow Burrow, we'll get past route 30, battle some trainers and go to Violet City. How does that sound?" I let out a tired but pleased screech. "Okay buddy, lets go home."


	3. Chapter 3

Hey thanks for getting this far into the story. Constructive criticism and comments are highly appreciated. Feel free to PM me with any comments questions or concerns. Love you all, enjoy the story!

-BlaKatRed

"talk"

'thought'

**"Pokédex"**

**Burrow (Rattata lv 14)**

**Moves:**

**Tail Whip**

**Quick Attack**

**Bite**

**PursuitChapter 3:**

Burrows' POV

I woke up again today at the end of Spencer's bed. Still drowsy, I checked to see if Spencer was asleep. Stalking over to the font of the bed I could see tuffs of hair peaking over the blankets. His nose kept scrunching up as he snored silently, mouth open in the most undignified manner. Snorting, I moved to wake him up. 'Wake him up? Should I really?' I paused my thoughts eyes widening at the implication, 'HE'S ASLEEP! HE'S ASLEEP!' my mind was on overdrive glancing rapidly around the room. 'I could escape while I have the chance!' I looked for a window, door, anything to get out of the room. Five minutes of scurrying around brought no results. 'No windows, the door handles are too high to reach, and the room is practically empty.' I sighed in relief. '…Relief…what! NO! I shouldn't be relieved. I should be distraught. Did I actually want to stay under human captivity?' I looked back to the bed once more. 'No, this is Spencer. Although he is human he is still my friend. He gave me a purpose, I shouldn't give that up so easily.' Satisfied with my feelings I hoped back up onto the bed to wake Spencer. I faced his ear and started chattering loudly. "No Burrow go away…" Spencer murmured pushing me away with his arms.

'So irritating' I grumbled, not pleased at all by the hand in my face. Extending my claws, I scratched the offending hand lightly. The result was instantaneous. Spencer bolted up, blinking rapidly. The sleep left his eyes almost immediately. "Burrow your awake?" he questioned, still somewhat confused. I nodded. "Right! Then we'd better get moving." I watched Spencer pause and look at the red marks on his hand. "You should be nicer to me Burrow, I am the one that feeds you." He teased.

Spencer's POV

After preparing for the day, I grabbed Burrow and headed to the sink. Although I showered last night, Burrow was still dirty from our late night training session. I grabbed some Pokémon shampoo and a brush, proceeding to get rid of all the dirt and mats in his fur. Burrow struggled with a vengeance splashing water all over my clothes, and the floor. His body crouched down, ears back, claws scraping uselessly against the sink-top. "Come on Burrow, I won't hurt you, think of how clean you'll be!" I pleaded trying to catch his eyes. He eventually did, calming down a bit as he looked at me. He still seemed unconvinced so I continued, "It will only take a second, don't worry I promise you'll be fine." Something flashed in is eyes and Burrow sat still, 'gratitude maybe? Who knows.' I continued to brush his fur for a good five minutes. "All done Burrow" I said turning off the water and packing up the supplies. "Lets get on the road shall we? Would you like to stay in your Pokéball or outside?" Burrow, still on the sink stared dubiously at me, appalled I would even ask. Jumping towards me, I clumsily caught the small wet creature and carried it outside. "You do realize that someday you'll have to start walking right?" Burrow chittered a negative.

Halfway across route 30, we ran into our first trainer. She looked a little older then me, although she could have been tall for her age. She smirked, confidence radiating from her stance as she looked at me.

'This is it, we're going to battle' I sensed excitedly. Burrow tensed in my arms, growling lowly at the approaching trainer. Gathering my courage, I held my gaze with the girl, running my fingers through Burrows fur. I whispered slowly, "What ever happens, I'll be proud of you okay buddy?"

"Hey newbie." The trainer interrupted in a friendly manner, "Are you up for a battle?" I nodded, not daring myself to speak. "Right then, come on out Poliwag!"She cheered. A red light brought the small water Pokémon to the field.

"Burrow you can do this, LETS GO!" I shouted. Burrow leapt from my arms skidding against the ground. There was an uncomfortable pause, and my opponent relaxed her stance. "Wow you really are a newbie huh!" She exclaimed laughing a bit. "Training a Rattata? I mean it's not the greatest Pokémon at all. It's completely outclassed. You shouldn't take time to train it, it's not worth it." She giggled looking back at her own Pokémon. "At least Poiliwag can evolve into something special, even Ratticates are frail. Way too common to." She noted. "You should probably catch something cooler at the next route."

Burrows POV:

I turned to Spencer. He was shaking slightly, eyes dark as he focused on the ground in irritation. He took a moment, schooled himself, and smiled looking up to the girl. "While I appreciate your advice, I'd rather battle if it is all the same to you. Burrow start off with a Quick Attack!"

It took a moment for me to register his command. Once I did, I focused power to my feet and took off. 'This move really makes me feel like I'm flying' I thought euphorically as I aimed strait at the Poliwag. "Polliwag Water Gun NOW!" the girl commanded. 'TOO CLOSE, CANT DODGE!' The water slammed into me, sending me summersaulting backwards. "Burrow shake it off, and use Bite." I ran to my opponent once more, slower this time without the boost from my previous attack. "Poliwag Hypnosis". Fearfully, I continued to run. "Burrow jump!" I did so gratefully, avoiding the weak psychic beams. On my way down I latched on to Poliwag with my teeth. Causing the creature to shriek in pain.

We continued doing this for a long time. Eventually though, I think our training paid off. I could see Poliwag's breath ghosting off the ground below him. He was panting heavily, while I on the other hand looked half as winded. I glanced back at Spencer, waiting for the final command. "Okay Burrow finish this battle off with one final Quick Attack!" I locked eyes with the Poliwag, It seemed already given up, sitting down waiting for the final blow. 'Alright then, time to finish this.' I thought, rushing my opponent. "Hurry up Poliwag DODGE!" The girl commanded in a desperate attempt to gain time. It was too late though. I slammed dead on into the Poliwag, causing it to faint instantly.

"We did it Burrow our first battle won!" Spencer praised scooping me up and hugging me fiercely. I let out a pleased gurgle, dazed. 'We did it, we actually did it.' I snuggled into Spencer's shoulder, ignoring the wounds littered across my body. 'It was worth it.'

"Sorry to interrupt the celebration, but I got to go." The girl said, returning the Poliwag. "If I lost to a Rattata I must be worse off then I thought, bye." She stalked off in the opposite direction. 'Good riddance', I thought scathingly. 'That human was annoying, constantly insulting me.' I grumbled a bit as Spencer put me down, grass tickling my belly as I landed. 'Although, It was fun beating her' I smirked mischievously.

Spencer's POV:

After I healed Burrow up with some potions, we continued down the route. We ran into four other trainers along the way. Although we lost to the first one, we rebounded and defeated the last three. I looked down to see Burrow walk in front of me. He finally got off his 'perch' in favor of exploring the terrain below. 'And to think how against walking he was this morning,' I mused quietly chuckling. Burrow scurried across the ground sniffing everything that interest him. We passed two houses along the way, as well as a cave. 'I need to remember to come back here.' I decided hesitantly. 'There are just too many things that we are to missing.' I was so busy thinking that I hadn't noticed we made it to the city.

Although the buildings had purple roofs they all seemed very tasteful. The road we walked along was completely cobblestone, contrasting the buildings nicely. Burrow seemed to be enjoying clacking his nails against it. "Stop it will you, we're almost there." I murmured picking Burrow up. I spotted the center and walked in. Checking into to the cities' Pokécenter went smoothly, and we were soon in our room and ready for bed. I placed burrow at the end of the bed, where he settled immediately. "Thanks Burrow for trying so hard today." I commented softly. An appreciative gurgle sounded soon after. "Don't ever feel like you're not worth it okay? We'll be doing a lot of exploring tomorrow so rest up." I snuggled under the covers and thought before I fell asleep, 'Tomorrow, tomorrow we'll find a new teammate for Burrow, and hopefully a new friend.'


End file.
